Bodybuilder Luke Wood died after hospital delays, inquest told
Champion Australian bodybuilder Luke Wood, whose death is being examined in the NSW Coroner's Court this week. Photo: steroidanalysis.comThe death of a champion bodybuilder followed hospital treatment that was marred by delays in receiving a vital scan, and the failure of doctors to access treatment notes, a coronial inquest has heard.
But the inquest also heard that anabolic steroid use was one of the contributing factors in his death.
Luke Wood, 35, a six-time winner of the Australian Body Building Championships, died on August 31, 2011 - 11 days after he underwent kidney transplant surgery.
The NSW Coroner's Court heard on Monday that the immediate cause of the bodybuilder's death was cardiac arrest but that this was related to "a massive haemorrhage" in his abdomen following the transplant.
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The inquest heard that doctors at Westmead Hospital made a desperate attempt to save Wood's life with an emergency laparotomy, but were unable to resuscitate him when he went into cardiac arrest.
The inquest heard that, after arriving at the hospital about 3pm, the bodybuilder had to wait for up to four hours before completing a CT scan to determine the cause and extent of his abdominal bleeding.
The Emergency Registrar who initially treated Woods, Sambantham Muralitharan, said that he had requested the scan "urgently" and believed it had happened within an hour of his request about 5pm
However, the inquest heard that, partly as a consequence of the many patients waiting to use Westmead's one working CT scanner, the scan was not completed until 6.51pm.
The court also heard that doctors could not access the full medical notes regarding Wood's kidney transplant and his post-operative treatment.
"We have evidence that the relevant renal notes were locked in a room and not accessible. Did you know that?" counsel assisting the commission, Patrick Griffin, asked Dr Muralitharan.
Dr Muralitharan said that the notes had not been necessary because a kidney specialist involved in the transplant operation was present in the emergency department on the day in question.
"But how could any registrar on the renal team or on the emergency team not be fully appraised of the minutiae of Luke's case if they didn't have his notes?" Deputy NSW Coroner Sharon Freund asked the doctor.
The doctor said that some of this information was available via the hospital's computer system.
Mr Griffin said that the adequacy of the hospital's treatment of Wood would be the main focus of the inquest.
However, he said that there was evidence Wood's steroid use was also a contributing factor to his death by causing the heart condition cardiomyopathy.
"Luke admitted to the use of steroids to some of his medical practitioners though not to his family or his GP," Mr Griffin said.
"But this inquest is not about the use and abuse of anabolic steroids."
The hearing continues.
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